Review: Armisticio – Decay Dreams

Armisticio is a new project dreamed up by seventeen year-old Chilean, Matias Andres. Blending influences from dream pop, to synth pop to chillwave, ‘Decay Dreams’ may be heavy in terms of its melancholic lyrics but is lighter than air in terms of arrangements. In keeping with his moniker, Andres also has the ambitious aim of using his music as a means of finding peace in a hostile world. No pressure there then.

At the beginning ‘Maybe You’ indicates the confidence of youth. The bold arrangement of shuddering beats and analog keyboards may drown out the digitised, lovelorn vocals of Andres but there’s no hiding the vibrant tune. ‘Change Me’ and ‘Caer, Volver’ are gentler numbers, like low-budget chillwave and there’s a pleasant flow of songs from here to the end of the album. ‘Fin’, for example, revolves around summery guitar lines and the repeated lyric of “Adios” but the smooth synths make it the kind of music perfect for lying on a beach somewhere.

However, what most of the material does lack is an edge or a sense of urgency with some of the songs so breezy they tend to blow away and disappear into the ether. ‘Cuando Vendras’ uses more strident beats and the insistent melody sinks its teeth into the listener whilst ‘Keep Trying’ is a definite highlight; beginning with a ringing, guitar hook and a more confident vocal from Andres. Like a lot of songs on this album, the track is blessed with an innocent charm and this moment imagines a pre-graduation version of The Drums. Drums of a different kind dominate the final track ‘Aqui No Estare’; the song having a military feel without diminishing the upbeat flavour of the EP.

In fact ‘Decay Dreams’ seems like a misleading title for the album since this record has a summery, washed-away kind of vibe, even taking into account Andres’ subdued vocals and some rather lovelorn lyrics. Whilst there’s nothing which would stop you in your tracks, this is, nevertheless, an album which bodes well for the talented teenager and a good start for his similarly youthful new label, Lick Records.